New life for Upper Waiwera school

On a lonely spot on the Upper Waiwera Road is the Waiwera War memorial commemorating  those who served in the two World Wars. It’s largely abandoned now, but for many years this was a lively place in front of the Upper Waiwera School; many names on the memorial are those of boys who once studied at the school and played in the grounds.

In March 1878 Upper Waiwera householders formed a school committee and wrote to the Board of Education petitioning for a local school on a site to be gifted by Mr J Anderson. The Board took months to respond but eventually, after ascertaining that there were no vacant houses which could be used for the children, agreed to the building of a new school.

Upper Waiwera School, built of kauri milled on site, opened in 1879. Teachers’ reports of the 1880s and 1890s complain of “backward children who do not know their letters”, but in fact finding time and energy for learning was not easy for rural children. Often they had to milk cows or chop wood before the long (sometimes barefoot) walk to school. After school there were often more chores to attend to. It is a credit to them that they had enough energy left to learn anything at all. Over the years the number of pupils at Upper Waiwera varied from 30 to 40, but by 1925 it had dropped to below 20 and by 1970 it had dropped to eight. The school closed in December 1970.

In 1971 Silverdale School held a centenary celebration – the organising committee had surplus funds and put these towards the purchase of  the Upper Waiwera building as a library for Silverdale. After Silverdale School moved from the industrial area to a new building in Silverdale North in January 2007, the Upper Waiwera building  was donated to the Silverdale & Districts Historical Society and one dark chilly morning on Queens Birthday weekend, 2007, the building rumbled its way down the hill, over the bridge and up to the Pioneer Village.

Over the last five years it has been lovingly restored by the Historical Society (who are still raising funds for a new roof) and will be used to display the history of various organisations of the Hibiscus Coast. This month it houses a display of photos and memorabilia of Upper Waiwera and Silverdale.

Image: Pupils at Upper Waiwera School in the early 1900s. Photo, courtesy Jean Dickinson

Museum News • May 16-22 Exhibition of photos and memorabilia of Upper Waiwera and early Silverdale at the Pioneer Village, 10am–3pm daily • 1860s Chapel available for Weddings, Baby Naming etc.